Huntington Family
Huntington Learning Center
Corporate Chair

Founded in 1977 by Eileen (CEO) and Dr. Ray Huntington (Chairman), Huntington Learning Center is the nation’s leading tutoring and test prep provider with more than 300 locations nationwide.

Prior to founding the company, Eileen was a junior high and high school teacher in New York City and New Jersey and Ray served as a senior business analyst for a Fortune 100 company and as a college-level instructor in math and statistics.

Sharing a talent for business and passion for giving every child the best education possible, the couple has grown their franchise-based company from a single location into the nation’s leading individualized and results-driven education provider.

Five years ago, Ray and Eileen’s daughter, Anne, joined the family business as the second generation of Huntington family leadership. As Vice President of Business Development and Member of the Board of Directors, Anne focuses on strategic growth opportunities which will continue Huntington’s track record of success for years to come. In addition to her role at Huntington, Anne is actively involved with the Learning Disabilities Association of the Americas and the International Franchise Association, among other community and industry-based organizations.

Together, the Huntington family and their team of dedicated employees are experiencing their best year yet. Huntington Learning Center was recently named a Top 500 Franchise and a Top 50 Franchise for Veterans by Entrepreneur, in the top 30 by Franchise Business Review’s Franchisee Satisfaction Networks and as a recipient of America’s Best Customer Service from Newsweek.

Kelsey Plaskon
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Young Adult Honoree  

Kelsey was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis at the age of 9. She had constant knee pain and swelling. After many tests and surgery, Dr. Kimura, at Hackensack hospital, determined she had JIA in almost every joint in her body. As an athlete, Kelsey was determined to never let JIA slow her down or define her. Throughout the years she’s been on numerous medications & currently needs to give herself weekly shots.

Over the years, she received multiple injections for her TMJ. In September of 2014, arthritis ate away at her TMJ, to the point that she could only open her mouth 12mm & needed to have a bilateral TMJ replacement! This was a very big obstacle to overcome as a recent college graduate who had just started her first teaching position!

Since that time Kelsey is happy to say she’s have made full recovery & succeeded her doctors expectations to gain full range of motion in her TMJ. The Arthritis Foundation has been a huge resource in her journey with JIA. She’s attended the New Jersey Chapter’s conferences, Family Picnics and Camp CHAT, where she met “truly amazing people, some of whom she’s still in contact with.” In the last few years, Kelsey had the opportunity to come back to Camp CHAT as a Peer Group Leader and then went on to become the Camp Coordinator. Kelsey says her journey with JIA hasn’t always been the easiest, but she continues to stay active everyday and does her best to keep it under control.

Madison Noble
Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Youth Honoree  

Madison is an outgoing little girl who loves swimming & the beach. At 3 yrs old she started experiencing symptoms of Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (SJIA). She had complained her legs hurt a couple times before but one morning, a week after having the flu, she woke up with worse leg pain. The preschool called during lunch to inform mom Madison was limping & crying her legs hurt too bad to walk back from the playground. Her temperature was 103.4 degrees when the school checked.

After two days between the pediatrician and E.R. – with pains from her shoulder, knee and even stomach – Madison’s fever spiked again. Her inflammatory markers were also through the roof. The medical staff thought it was Kawasaki disease & planned treatment. When the attending physician noticed rashes developing on Madison’s legs, CAT scan requests were sent to her parents & her 4th birthday was spent in the hospital. CAT scans revealed fluid in her joints & lungs. A pediatric rheumatologist was introduced & thereafter, Madison was diagnosed with SJIA.

March through June of 2018 proved to be challenging as Madison’s body reacted in various ways to trial & error of medications. Weight gain and lethargy from steroids were the most obvious. They even had trouble locating her veins so injections were administered on her foot! By July, Madison’s medication regiment switched to bi-weekly infusions. She slowly lost the weight and got her energy back. It has not been easy since then. Madison takes each day at a time, slowly working her medication regimen back in hopes for medical remission. To help stay mobile she’s swimming, doing karate at her pre-school and playing soccer. Madison can’t wait to get back to the beach this summer!